1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage and distribution of audio and video media files, and particularly to a media/data card that provides for the storage and distribution of collections of media files on a universal digital storage device, which permits playback of the media files on diverse devices and provides security against unauthorized copying.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people enjoy listening to music or watching movies and videos on a wide variety of portable devices. At one time portable devices simply played the content distributed in the same formats provided for non-portable devices, but the development and popularization of audio and video compression has allowed media to be converted to files of comparatively small sizes, and portable player devices that store and play compressed files have become popular with consumers.
The use of compression technology has provided a number of benefits, and consumers have fervently embraced these advantages. Consumers have become accustomed to being able to carry large collections of music and other entertainment media in a small portable device. Consumers also value the ability to move their digital files from one portable player to another because this allows them to enjoy their music collections in various settings. Consumers expect to be able to experience their music or other media in their automobiles, for example, while working out at the gymnasium, or in any other setting without having to purchase new copies of the media.
Compressed media formats also enable consumers to compose collections of exactly the material they desire by copying and compressing audio tracks from prepackaged media collections, such as collections distributed on Compact Disc (CD) or a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), or by purchasing individual compressed media tracks from online vendors. Consumers are motivated to create these collections because the prepackaged collections contain some tracks that are perceived as being less enjoyable “filler” material that the consumer would not have purchased if the enjoyable tracks were separately available.
However, the popularity of these compressed formats has generated some very real problems for the copyright owners of the media. The copyright owners have invested money in the creation of the media and would like to profit from the distribution and use of the copyright protected material. Copyright holders and authorized distributors of music would prefer that consumers purchase songs as collections because this business model allows them to optimize their revenue stream. Copyright holders would further like control over the playback devices in which media are stored because without such control the small size of compressed digital files makes them easy to distribute or redistribute using the file-sharing capabilities of the playback devices. The media files stored on playback devices can even be uploaded to the Internet, where they can be distributed to unauthorized consumers without providing any revenue to the copyright holders.
Consumers have also encountered some additional obstacles in satisfying their desires for entertainment media. While they can search for individual music tracks, videos, and movies on the Internet, this search can be time consuming, and even when a desired media file is located, the file is often of questionable quality, resulting in possible diminished enjoyment of a listening or viewing experience. Consumers who download files without the authorization of the copyright holders are also increasingly at risk of being sued for copyright infringement, a risk that makes seemingly “free” content unattractive. Other consumers avoid the unauthorized download of content from the Internet because of their desire to avoid involvement in illegal activity.
Consumers also find the process of copying music tracks and compressing tracks from CD and DVD sources problematic. The process can be time consuming unless performed on powerful computers. Increasingly, distributors of CDs are including protection mechanisms to prevent the copying of media from CDs. Essentially, all media distributed on DVD is provided with copy protection. While means to circumvent copy protection is often available, the use of such means is illegal in many countries, including the United States.
Copyright owners want to make their media more attractive to consumers by accommodating the uses consumers enjoy because doing so increases a consumer's desire and demand for entertainment media. However, copyright owners would also like to avoid enabling copying and file-sharing practices that circumvent their ability to generate revenue from their product.
Memory devices for data and multimedia storage are available, but are usually customized to particular devices, and do not provide measures for protecting the copyright interests in media recorded on the storage device. An exemplary device is described in German Patent No. 10,141,873, published on Mar. 20, 2003, which discloses an adapter for interfacing flash memory cards to a computer, but does not disclose an access control system for limiting access to data stored on the flash memory cards.
Another exemplary device is shown in French Patent No. 2,853,975, published on Oct. 22, 2004, which describes an adapter for interfacing memory cards of varying technologies, including flash memory and microdrives, to a personal computer for transferring the files to the computer, but does not describe an access control mechanism for allowing copyright holders to limit access to files.
Thus, a method of distribution media files on a digital media/data card solving the aforementioned problems is desired.